


Hastur

by Anime_PJ



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Highschool DxD (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Harem, High-Class Devil OC, Lovecraft-based Devil OCs, Multi, Multiple crossover characters, Pure-Blood Devil OC, Rias' fiancé OC, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26180002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anime_PJ/pseuds/Anime_PJ
Summary: Arkac Hastur, the last living member of a great Devil Clan, goes through life attempting to rebuild his family and prove himself worthy of bearing the name of Hastur.
Relationships: Asia Argento/Hyoudou Issei, Enoshima Junko/Original Male Character(s), Fukawa Toko/Original Male Character(s), Genocider Syo | Genocide Jack/Original Male Character(s), Himejima Akeno/Hyoudou Issei, Hyoudou Issei/Rossweisse, Hyoudou Issei/Shidou Irina, Hyoudou Issei/Toujou Koneko, Hyoudou Issei/Xenovia Quarta, Ingvild Leviathan/Hyoudou Issei, Kirigiri Kyoko/Original Male Character(s), Maizono Sayaka/Original Male Character(s), Ogami Sakura/Original Male Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Celestia Ludenberg, Pekoyama Peko/Original Male Character(s), Ravel Phenex/Original Male Character(s), Rias Gremory/Original Male Character(s), Sona Sitri/Original Male Character(s), Sonia Nevermind/Original Male Character(s), Tsumiki Mikan/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The underage tag is only there because my OC and a few other characters are below 18 and sex happens and that's the site rules. As I live in the UK, where the age of consent is 16, I don't necessarily consider it as such, but they're Ao3's rules.

Thousands of years ago, there were the Angels, the Fallen Angels, and the Devils. The Fallen Angels fell from grace due to acts of sin and, forced out of Heaven due to their dirtied nature, they fled to the Underworld, the home of the Devils, to settle. The Angels and the Devils have been enemies since the very beginning, so the Fallen Angels attempted to force the Devils from their home to claim it for themselves.

They would have done it, too, if not for the arrival of 21 new Devils.

Led by the monstrously powerful Devil known as Azathoth, the Daemon Sultan, a powerful creature whose appearance drove mortals to madness, the 20 Great Ones – Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath, Ubbo-Sathla, Yog-Sothoth, Cthuga, Cthulhu, Cyäegha, Eihort, Dagon, Ghatanothoa, Hastur, Hydra, Ithaqua, M'nagalah, Rlim Shaikorth, Tsathoggua, Y'golonac, Ysbaddaden, Ythogtha, and Zoth-Ommog – added their strength to the power of the 72 Pillars, and that added strength was more than enough to even the playing field between the Devils and the creatures who wielded their biggest natural weakness, light. The Fallen Angels found themselves being massacred into retreat with almost every battle.

The Angels witnessed this destruction and decided that both sides needed to be exterminated for good.

The Great War began then, and it ended with the destruction of 40 of the 72 Pillar Clans. There were no casualties among the 20 Great Ones, however, and Azathoth stood as strong at the end as he had at the beginning. In the end, it was a stalemate with an astonishing amount of casualties, and the Three Factions agreed to stand down and a tenuous peace reigned from that day forward.

The Fallen Angels have been relatively quiet ever since, seeking to rebuild their numbers after the devastation.

And so Azathoth explained himself to his fellow Devils. He and his Great One kin separated from the rest of Devil kind near the beginning of their race's existence. They had been growing stronger the entire time. Their return was triggered by the Fallen Angels' invasion, as Azathoth decided that the time of separation must come to an end and they must help their brethren or else risk extinction for their entire race. When all was said and done, Azathoth was made the fifth Maou, joining Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus on the thrones of the Underworld. The 20 Great Ones were each granted territory within the Underworld and began Clans of their own, establishing themselves as respected families among the Old Devils.

But all was not as well as it seemed.

The four Maous who Azathoth ruled alongside were not the originals, for they had died during the Great War. He sat among their descendants. The five Maous wanted the blood of Angels and Fallen Angels to run all through the realms. But the Devils below them wanted nothing more than survival, and so began the Underworld Civil War.

This war was far shorter than the Great War. Once again, the 20 Great Ones made all the difference. Rallied by Hastur and his growing Clan, the 20 Great Ones rebelled against Azathoth and sided with the Anti-Satan faction, not wanting to risk the destruction of their species so soon after saving and rejoining them. In the end, all the Maous but Azathoth died, and Azathoth fled with their descendants, vowing that he would one day return and place the true bloodlines on the thrones of the Underworld once more.

But before he left, he performed one final act of supreme evil.

He found Hastur and, with all his might, struck him down and butchered his entire family, levelling their home and their lands in rage. Having avenged his betrayal, Azathoth left and was not heard from again.

All the Underworld could do was mourn the Clan that led the 20 Great Ones into battle against their leader for the sake of Devil kind. The Underworld despaired, for Hastur's noble bloodline was extinguished …

… or so they thought.

* * *

Hastur Manor was in a sorry state if it could be said to be in any state at all. The whole building, once a beautifully Gothic castle-sized mansion, was now nothing more than a series of crumbling ruins. If a mortal had tried to sift through the debris, they would certainly be killed from bits and pieces of the structure falling atop them, crushing their bones and clogging their lungs with dust.

Luckily, Grayfia Lucifuge was a Devil, as were those with her. They had commenced many operations like this already, in the wake of the Great War not as long ago as they would have liked.

Grayfia was a beautiful young woman appearing to be in her early twenties with back-length silver hair that featured a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest was let down which ends in twin braids and red eyes. She was wearing her usual attire of a blue and white French maid outfit with long sleeves and a white maid headband over her head with red lipstick as a cosmetic accessory.

She had been put in charge of the search by her new King and lover, Sirzechs Lucifer, who had won her heart so thoroughly on the battlefield that she had switched sides. She had succumbed to his romantic advances too late, she feared, for if she had been able to convince some of her fellows to defect with her, they might have avoided this tragedy altogether …

 _Nonsense,_ she reminded herself. _Azathoth would have decimated us, just as he decimated this place._

Truly, why he had fled was a mystery. A mystery for another day.

"Inform me if you find anything of note," Grayfia ordered the Devils she had been given command of. "We need to search the whole manor, top to bottom."

"Yes, ma'am!" the Devils said in the affirmative, then got to work. A few of them grumbled as they did so in weak protest. They still didn't trust her.

Not that she could blame them. She and her brother had probably killed dozens of their comrades on the battlefield …

"Lucifuge-sama!" one of the men yelled out, running back towards her. "We've found something! You won't believe it!"

"What is it?" she asked.

"A child," the man told her.

She raised an eyebrow. "A child?" _Maybe we missed a corpse during the initial clean up,_ she thought with an inward grimace. Bringing back a child's corpse on a salvage job wouldn't be particularly pleasant.

"Yes, ma'am," the man said. "This way. Follow me."

She followed.

They reached an area where some debris had been cleared, almost certainly by this man and the ones with him. She froze when she saw what was in the middle of the cleared debris. It was a child, all right, though younger than she was expecting. An _infant_. The baby was wrapped in a tattered yellow blanket and looked to be peacefully asleep. It was surrounded in a bubble of glowing yellow light. She had expected many things when asked to come to see the corpse of a dead child, but this wasn't at all what she was expecting.

Especially seeing as the child wasn't dead.

* * *

With the discovery that there was yet a member of the Hastur Clan still alive, a discussion broke out around the Underworld. A discussion regarding who would care for the child, a boy whose name was recorded as Arkac Hastur. The long lifespans of Devils and the fact that Arkac was frozen in a time bubble of some sort meant this conversation went on for quite some time with no ill effects to the boy. It was almost convenient as restoration of the Hastur lands was in progress the whole time. Arkac would inherit his family's land upon turning 18. The Great Ones were very vocal about Arkac being placed with one of their families, but in the end, it was not to be.

Eventually, a verdict was reached: Arkac would live with the Gremory Clan.

This decision had to be agreed upon unanimously by the five new Maous, Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Ajuka Beelzebub, Falbium Asmodeus, and Rogue Azathoth, as Sirzechs was formerly of the Gremory Clan and the decision would look biased if it wasn't agreed upon by absolutely all the decision-makers. Upon the announcement, Arkac was immediately unfrozen and put in the care of Lord and Lady Gremory, who conveniently had a daughter by now who seemed about a year older than Arkac.

Another decision was made: an engagement would be arranged between Arkac Hastur and Rias Gremory in the interest of keeping the Hastur bloodline alive. This was met with some contention from a member of the Phenex Clan, Riser Phenex, due to an arrangement being discussed that would have tied the Phenex and Gremory Clans together, but Rogue Azathoth, his older sister, rebuffed him with the reasoning that repopulating an extinct Clan takes priority.

Arkac lived with the Gremory family for 16 years of his life and by all accounts lived well. Then, when Rias and her friend Sona made plans to move to the human world for educational purposes, he opted to join them. By this point, he had seven servants: a Queen, a Rook, two Bishops, and three Pawns. He hoped that he would find more worthy candidates in the human world.

It was a year later, at the age of 17, that life got a bit more interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Arkac Hastur stirred from his sleep as the light hit his eyes. Seeing as he was a Devil, the sun was more intense for him than it would have been for any mortal, but he was used to it by now. That didn't mean it didn't wake him up, though. He felt the warm, equally naked body beside him shift as he woke up. His Queen was awake, too. There was little use trying to get back to sleep.

Arkac sat up and let the quilt fall away from his naked chest. He was a lad of 17 now, a second-year at Kuoh Academy, a full year below his fellow High-Class Devils at the school. The first thing people usually noticed about him when they saw him without his shades on was his eyes, which were a sickly yellow and had lizard-like slits for pupils. He could fix the pupils quickly, but there was no use wasting Demonic Power on something relatively easy to conceal, so he kept his eye colour the same. He had fair skin, though scratches were running down his back from the night before, and mid-length, wavy, electric-blue hair. He was quite muscular, and when he was standing, he was tall.

"Good morning, darling," he said as his Queen sat up next to him.

The quilt fell away from 17-year-old Junko Enoshima's torso much as it had his, giving a beautiful view of her E-cup breasts, the sudden rush of air hitting them, causing her nipples to perk up. You couldn't tell while she was sitting down, but she had a tall, hourglass figure. What you _could_ see were her light blue eyes and her long, thick, bleached blonde hair. Her natural hair colour was red, but Arkac hadn't seen it like that since shortly after he'd made her his Queen.

"Mornin'," she said a tad sleepily, resting her head on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still a little sore from last night." She grinned at him. "You really came at me like a beast this time."

"How can I resist with a Queen like you?"

"You're resisting _now_."

"That's because it's morning and we don't want to be late to school because we're too busy making love. Speaking of, what's on the agenda for today, darling?"

"I am every so glad you asked, sir!" Suddenly, Junko was standing at the end of the bed, still stark naked and shamelessly displaying everything to him. In the split-second it took to get there, she had also tied her hair up in a ponytail and put on a pair of thin-framed glasses that just screamed "secretary." She had also set up a chalkboard with a timetable for the day drawn on it. "Today's classes consist of mathematics, English, a double period of science, history, and composition, in that order. Afterwards, you arranged to meet with those two new candidates for the Peerage so you can make them the offer, and after that, it's business as usual with everyone on contract. Also, it's Mikan's turn to sleep with you tonight." She spoke that last item with a pout and a slightly whiny tone.

"Hey, you're the one who organises bedroom activities," he reminded her, standing up from the bed and stretching. Junko's eyes roamed his naked body. Not for long, though, as he stepped behind a partition on one side of the room, and she stepped behind the other side of it. This was necessary when they were getting dressed because they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other if they could see each other.

When they stepped out from behind the partitions, fully dressed, Arkac was now decked out with a pair of yellow-tinted shades behind which he had used Demonic Power to make his pupils look as round as any human's – he just couldn't be bothered wasting effort with changing the colour. He was wearing a variant of the Kuoh Academy boys' uniform which he'd modified to fit his Clan's trademark colour scheme. It consisted of a bright yellow blazer with the Kuoh Academy emblem embroidered on the left breast over a white button-down shirt with a darker yellow ribbon tied at the collar, bright yellow trousers, and black dress shoes.

Junko, on the other hand, wasn't wearing anything that even remotely resembled a Kuoh Academy uniform. She was wearing a black cardigan over a white dress shirt, both left open to the third button to expose the top of her black and red bra, a red pleated miniskirt, and mid-sized black boots with platform heels and red laces. Her cardigan contained the only reference to Kuoh Academy on the whole ensemble: the school logo embroidered on the left side. She accessorised with a long black and white tie that hung loosely around her neck, a thin black choker, a red bow above her left breast, and two buttons on the right side. The accessories that stood out, however, were the ones that were currently pinning her hair up in a pair of twin ponytails, one on either side of her head: bear-like hairclips. The right clip was a white bear with dot eyes and a neutral expression, and the left clip was a black bear with a white muzzle, jagged red eyes, and a wicked smile.

"Shall we go down for breakfast, my Queen?" Arkac asked, holding out a hand. "I'm sure the others are already down there."

Junko took his hand – her long nails now painted red – and the two walked downstairs hand in hand. The others were, indeed, all down there.

Arkac had managed to gather seven servants in his Peerage so far and was hoping he would have more very soon. He had his Queen, which was Junko, and he had a Rook, two Bishops, and three Pawns.

"Hmph," said the largest of the bunch. "You're always up so late, Arkac."

Sakura Ogami, the Rook, was an absolute hulk of a woman. She was 17 years old, 6'4", and 218lbs of pure, unadulterated muscle mass. She had long white hair, reddened-dark skin, and pale blue eyes. A scar ran down her face, from the top left to the bottom right, going between her eyes and crossing her nose. Her clothes were a traditional seifuku-style Japanese school uniform comprised of a white shirt with a blue sailor collar, a short blue skirt, and a red tie. The sleeves of the outfit had been ripped off to account for her tree trunk-like arms, which showed off a trio of long, thick scars running down her right shoulder. She had bandages wrapped around her calves and forearms. Her shoes were grey. Her deep voice, muscular body, and stern demeanour often had people mistaking Sakura for a boy.

"Leave them be," giggled a soft French accent. "I'm sure their night-time activities were very strenuous for them. Arkac is much the same with the rest of us, after all."

Celestia Ludenberg, the first of the Bishops, was of what many would consider a more "normal" size for a 17-year-old girl. She wore a white lace-bonnet with white ribbons and had black hair in two absurdly-sized, twin-drill pigtails. She had ghostly pale skin and blood-red eyes. From her ears dangled gold circular earrings that depicted the cross (fakes, obviously) with a red gem set at the centre of each. She also had long, black nails. She was in full Gothic Lolita gear, consisting of a white blouse with a long-point collar, a white ribbon tied around her neck, a black jacket that included white fabric lacing down the sleeves, fastened by a pure white ribbon across her B-cup chest to reveal her red tie, which had a butterfly pattern layered on top of several spears with skulls attached to it, and the waist of her skirt, which was many-tiered and featured white lace. She had knee-high stockings trimmed in ladder lace, dark red mary janes with a thick heel held on her feet by three grey buckles, a white lace headband, and silver, Gunmetal plated ring layered in overlapping sections on her index finger.

"Y-Yeah," agreed a more timid voice. "E-Except when he's with S-Sakura … sh-she normally puts h- _him_ through the wringer during their nights t-together."

Mikan Tsumiki, the other Bishop, couldn't have been more different. She was 18 and had long, choppy, dark purple hair that was cut unevenly, light, greyish purple eyes, and a pale complexion. Under the corner of her left eye, there was a small beauty mark. She wore a nurse uniform which consisted of a pale pink, collared, short- and puffy-sleeved shirt with a white apron over it that was tied behind her neck with a ribbon. There were two red lines on the left side of the apron, one going down the middle, and another short red line perpendicular to the vertical one. The apron disguised the size of her chest, making it appear smaller than the D-cup it was. A short, pale blue pleated skirt was visible beneath the lower part of the apron. She had bandages wrapped around most of her left arm and her right leg. Additionally, she had a band-aid on her left kneecap and wore white socks and shoes.

"We really shouldn't talk about this sort of thing over breakfast," said a melodious voice. The owner of the sound was blushing.

Sayaka Maizono, one of the Pawns, was almost doll-like in her appearance, which made many mistake her for a vampire stuck at 17. She had long, dark blue hair which was held in place by several clips, and her eyes were dark blue. She wore eyeliner and blush on her face. She had on a traditional seifuku-style uniform consisting of a long-sleeved white shirt with a blue sailor collar, which comfortably contained her modest C-cup bosom, and a pink ribbon bow tie with tails, a blue tartan skirt, black thigh-high socks, and brown, buckled shoes. The Kuoh Academy emblem was embroidered on the left breast of her shirt.

"Why?" asked a polished, regal-sounding voice. "It's not like we've got anything to hide. I'm pretty sure we all do the same things with him."

Sonia Nevermind, another Pawn, gave off an air of innocent regality that fooled many people into thinking her naive. She was a tall 18-year-old girl with light blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She was wearing a green and white dress which comfortably hugged her C-cup breasts with a large red ribbon with a blue and silver jewel on the chest and a dark green, almost black ribbon with diamonds in her hair. She also wore a bracelet on her left wrist, black and grey thigh-high socks, and red mary janes.

"True," said the last of the group, a more serious-sounding voice. "But as your parents would likely say, it's not considered 'proper' to talk about these things at the dinner table."

Kyoko Kirigiri, the last of the Pawns, was 17 and had the most "simple" look about her. She had purple eyes that stood out vividly against her pale complexion. She wore her long, lavender hair down with a single braid on the left side, tied with a black ribbon. She wore a dark purple, collared jacket with six buttons over a zipped-up, long-sleeved white blouse and brown tie with a bird-like symbol on it. She also wore a short black skirt, heeled, knee-high purple boots with equally knee-high, light purple socks. She also had a pair of custom-made, black studded gloves.

It was only through the miracle that was mind manipulation that they were allowed to go to school dressed like they were. The student council president _hated_ it, but she stopped arguing about halfway through their first year at the school.

"Why don't you all just shut the fuck up?" Junko snapped her voice now fierce and aggressive. "We're up now, fucking aren't we?" Her entire demeanour changed – she stood up straight and looked down her nose at everyone. "There is no need to harass us about our bedroom activities," she said in a faux-English accent. "You should cease this line of conversation at once!"

"Good morning, everyone," Arkac said, so used to Junko's constantly changing behaviour at this point that he didn't even blink at it. "How are we all?"

"I'm g-g-great," Mikan said, her cheeks flushing red as her voice stuttered. "Especially s-since it's my t-turn to sleep with you t-tonight." Her cheeks turned up in a smile, and there was a little drool sliding down her chin. For such a shy girl, she had quite a dirty imagination and was probably one of the more adventurous in terms of bedroom activities. Arkac appreciated that. As the saying goes, "it's always the quiet ones."

"Down, girl," Kyoko said in a deadpan.

"S-Sorry!"

"You're still apologising too much," Sonia pointed out.

"Sorry!"

Sakura breathed out through her nose, and Celestia tutted. Sayaka sympathetically patted Mikan on the shoulder. Arkac walked over, Sayaka instinctively moved out of the way, and he wrapped his arms around Mikan from behind. "No need to be sorry, Mikan," he said softly into her ear. "I look forward to our nights together. Tell you what – how about I tie you to the bed tonight?" He spoke in a huskier tone and emphasised his words by lowering his head and delivering a few quick kisses to her neck.

Mikan nodded breathlessly at his idea. The look on her face made it quite clear that she'd happily have him tie her to the bed right this second.

"Do we need to get a cold hose for you two?" asked Sakura. "If you keep this up, you'll end up late for school."

"And you'll be cleaning up any mess you make in this kitchen," Celestia added, sipping her tea elegantly.

Arkac rolled his eyes. "Spoilsports," he muttered. He pulled away from Mikan, who whined at the loss. "Just in case you girls didn't get the memo, we're having a meeting with our two new potentials after school, so don't go rushing off to any contracts as soon as the bell rings at the end of the day. We need to pull off the whole 'super mysterious group of demonic entities' thing, which is kind of hard to do if we're not all present."

"Well, Celeste has already got that shit down with most of the school," Junko commented, back in her violently foul-mouthed persona.

"And everyone at school already thinks Sayaka is a living doll," said Sonia.

"I don't look _that_ much like a doll …" Sayaka muttered dejectedly.

Celestia clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I simply don't see how it is fair that I put so much effort into maintaining this appearance, yet all she needs is a little blush and some eyeliner to achieve the same effect," she said. If she had been a less dignified young woman, she probably would have pouted.

"Some of the boys in school think I'm an ogre, if it helps at all," Sakura threw in.

"The assholes, you mean," said Arkac. He was very defensive of his servants, and some comments around the school regarding them earned his ire. Memory editing made sure they never remembered _why_ they were scared of him following these comments, but for a lot of guys around the school, seeing Arkac coming made them wish they'd worn their brown pants.

"We're going to be late," Kyoko stated.

"Right you are," said Arkac. He clapped his hands. "Let's be off, then, shall we?"

"Okay, Arkac," Junko agreed in yet another voice, this one incredibly high-pitched and cutesy. "Let's go, everyone!"

* * *

Whispering is a form of communication meant to be as quiet or unheard as possible. However, even _without_ the supernatural senses of Devils, the sheer amount of students whispering as Arkac and his servants approached the school building made them audible despite how quiet the speakers were trying to be. It was white noise to them now. It happened every day. The fact that Kuoh Academy's student body was primarily female meant that the majority of these comments were the admiration of Arkac's handsomeness, jealousy that the girls got to spend so much time with him, and resentment of Junko's "stupid, ridiculous body."

The comments made by boys were pretty much all death threats against Arkac for daring to spend time with so many of the school's beauties. There were also fearful mutters, mostly regarding Sakura.

It calmed down a bit when they got into the building itself, which was mostly full of students who wanted to get to their classrooms before the bell to signal the start of the day rang. Though this was also where the more … _dedicated_ fanboys and fangirls hung out. Some psychological bullshit or other about how they feel more expressive when indoors because it's a less open environment. Whatever it was, it was annoying … for the most part. Arkac would be lying if he said he _completely_ hated the female attention. It was all the petty jealousy being flung around that he couldn't tolerate.

Of course, he couldn't _openly_ show his lack of tolerance for this behaviour, at least not while all of them were watching. In public like this, the group had to look dignified. They all walked with their heads held high – well, Mikan _tried_ , but all she ended up looking like was adorable.

It was in here that they met up with two of the other most popular people in school.

Rias Gremory, the heiress of the Gremory clan, Arkac's childhood friend and fiancé, was the single most popular girl in school. She was a young woman of 18 with perfect pale skin and blue-green eyes. Her most distinctive feature was her long, beautifully crimson hair which was the staple of the Gremory family's appearance, and which stood out as vividly as blood in the snow against her pale skin, and reached down to her thighs with an ahoge sticking out the top. She wore the Kuoh Academy girls' uniform, which perfectly hugged her buxom DD-cup breasts, and consisted of a white button-down shirt with a black ribbon tied around the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, a magenta skirt with white accents, and brown dress shoes over white crew-length socks. She was, appropriately worded, hot as hell.

Akeno Himejima, Rias' Queen, was the girl standing next to her. Even as sexy as Rias was, Akeno's body in comparison could be described as downright _sinful_. She had a voluptuous figure, long raven black hair, and alluring violet eyes. Her hair was tied up in a long ponytail with an orange ribbon, reaching down her legs. She, like Rias, wore the Kuoh Academy girls' uniform, and it hugged her body so tightly you would swear her chest was about to break her shirt open at any moment. She also wore black, calf-length socks.

"Good morning, Rias my dear," as he came face to face with his future bride and fellow King. In many respects, they had gotten lucky in their engagement, as they had plenty of time growing up to decide whether they liked each other in that way or not. For his part, he loved her and had since they were children. "I trust you are well?"

"Very well, Arkac," said Rias. She had been far more reserved than Arkac about the engagement when she first learned of it, but she trusted him as her friend and was honest with him about it. The two had tested the waters somewhat in their early teens by dating, which was a bit tricky in the Underworld due to how famous they both were, but somehow they made it work. She decided a few months into their courtship that she did like him in the romantic sense, and while she was still somewhat bitter towards her parents for agreeing to something on her behalf when they were both still children, she was happy with the arrangement. Far more satisfied than she would have been with the alternative, anyway.

Arkac may have had all women in his Peerage on the advice of some of the Old Devils, but at least he didn't automatically take a sexual relationship with them as a given. Riser Phenex was notorious for sticking it in his servants as soon as he got them. The one upside was that the rumours regarding his relationship with his sister, who was also his Bishop, gave quite a laugh even for those who knew they were bullshit.

"How are you?" Rias returned the sentiment.

"Refreshed and ready for the day, as always," Arkac responded.

"Hey, Akeno!" Junko greeted her fellow Queen cheerfully, now affecting a stereotypical valley girl accent. This was the persona she tended to keep up in public. "It's _such_ a good morning out."

"Yes, I agree that it's very nice today," Akeno said in response. She never lost her polite tone even if Junko's public persona could get quite exhausting at times. It was better than her full-on psychopathy that showed itself when Arkac let her off the leash, so to speak, so she and everyone else put up with it with a smile and a kind word. "Good morning to you all."

"I need to ask a favour of you," Rias said bluntly.

Arkac raised a curious eyebrow. "Go on," he prompted.

"I need to make use of Kyoko's detective skills. With your permission, of course. I need to keep an eye on a potential candidate for my Peerage. Kyoko has some experience following people from her detective work, doesn't she?"

"She does." Arkac thought it over. He smirked. "Okay, but I'll have to charge you a full contract fee." He chuckled to show that he was joking. He glanced back to address Kyoko. "That's all right with you, isn't it, Kyoko love?"

"How could I refuse a request from my master's future wife?" she asked rhetorically. "Just tell me who to tail, and I'll be on them like a hawk."

Rias smiled. "Thank you."

"So, anyone I know?" Arkac asked.

Rias smirked. "Let's just say they have a … reputation, and leave it at that," she said.

Arkac shrugged. "Fair enough."

_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

The bell sounded to signal that everybody should go to their classrooms. The students bustled around the group as they moved to do so, quickly filling the halls as the students still lingering outside came in for homeroom. Arkac and Rias still had their eyes locked on each other. Both leaned forward, almost on instinct, and allowed their lips to touch for a few brief seconds. It was a soft kiss, though not quite chaste as both made sure to make some quiet noises of enjoyment to please the other, and it ended quickly. The desire between the two of them was almost palpable.

"I'll be seeing you later, then," Arkac said.

"Yes," Rias agreed. "I'll be expecting Kyoko in my club room after school."

"Understood," said Kyoko.

With that, the group separated. Rias, Akeno, Mikan, and Sonia were all third years, so they were all in a completely different part of the school to the others, who were all second years. Arkac was in a class with Junko and Sayaka, so the three of them bid goodbye to the others and got moving. Junko and Sayaka hung off of Arkac's arms as they walked through the hallway, drawing jealous glares from everyone around, whether they were aimed at Arkac or the girls hanging off of him. The best was yet to come, however, as the three of them arrived in the classroom.

"Bastard!" three voices rang out simultaneously as they entered the room.

"Hello to you, too, you three," Arkac said with perfect politeness. As much as he would like to put on a show and rub this in the Perverted Trio's faces, drawing that sort of attention to himself and the girls would have been more trouble than it was worth. Teenagers could be vicious creatures, and while he would probably get "street cred" over such an incident, the girls would inevitably be labelled as "sluts" by their peers, and he wanted to avoid that. Junko got enough of it just by being a model at the age of 17.

Something Rias said occurred to him. _"They have a … reputation." I wonder …_ thought Arkac. He had never thought to check these three before, but now that his curiosity was growing …

He flexed his senses to cover the classroom. Three energies stood out. Two of them belonged to Junko and Sayaka, but the third …

… _Hyoudou, huh …?_ Arkac thought, his curiosity growing. _Well,_ this _is a surprise._

Whatever Hyoudou had …

… it was _big_.

* * *

The Literature Club was a unique beast as far as the clubs in school went. Rias' club, the Occult Research Club, was unusual enough that its few members and difficulty to join were very easy to justify by the members. Arkac's interest in literature, however, had driven him to take something of a risk in starting a club that would inevitably attract aspiring members. There were far less than he had expected, though far from being none. This was good, though. It was a convenient way of checking random students for potential, which was actually how he had come across one of the two girls he was hoping to recruit this evening.

Those who held no interest to him had their minds altered and were sent to another, lesser-known Literature Club that had been set up by asking one of the regular clients of Arkac's Peerage to do them a favour. The members tended to fluctuate, but the four girls who stayed as a constant were nice enough and provided a convenient cover.

The Literature Club occupied the library. The Peerage wouldn't start making their contracts until about an hour after school, when the library officially closed, so until then, it was socialising and genuine talks of literature.

Except for this evening. Kyoko had gone to do Rias' favour.

 _Too bad I can't have everyone here like I wanted, though,_ Arkac thought in slight disappointment. He occasionally frustrated himself with his inability to refuse Rias anything she asked for. Hell, she could ask to end the engagement, and it would break his heart, but he would still do it. Saying no to her wasn't something he was capable of.

The group sat there, chatted, and drank tea until two girls approached them. The other lingering students had just finished filtering out. They were alone here now.

Which meant they could speak openly.

"Welcome, ladies, to this meeting of the Literature Club," Arkac said from his spot in an armchair. He sipped his tea. "Please, take a seat."

Toko Fukawa was a second year of 17. She had long, dark purple hair she kept in two braids that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were grey, and she wore a pair of large, round, wire-rimmed glasses over them. On the left side of her chin, there was a small mole. Over her body, which was incredibly modest by the standards of most girls at the school as she was pretty flat-chested at an A-cup, she wore an incredibly dark purple Japanese school uniform with a noticeably lengthy skirt that went all the way down to her ankles. On the upper-sleeves of her top, the Kuoh Academy emblem was embroidered, and on her feet, she wore white socks and purple loafers.

Peko Pekoyama was an 18-year-old third-year student. She was tall for a girl of her age, with long silver hair she kept tied up in two short braids which fell past the front of her shoulders with white ribbons securing each braid at the top and two red ties holding each twist together at the bottom. Her eyes were bright red. Much like Toko, she wore glasses, though they were smaller and more rectangular. She wore a black Japanese school uniform which hugged at her D-cup breasts with a red tie. Her skirt was incredibly short, barely reaching her thighs, and she wore dark tights underneath it with white loafers. On her back was a dark turquoise sheath with a silver design at the end which held her shinai.

Arkac wasn't sure how these two got away with not wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform but shrugged it off. Maybe his messing with the teachers' minds was having more of an effect than he realised.

"Th-Thanks, I guess," Toko mumbled with a scowl and a resentful tone. She was the one of the two who had tried to sign up for the club when she caught Arkac's attention, but from the social interactions Kyoko had observed, she seemed in desperate need of company with the small problem that she hated everyone she met. She patted her skirt as she sat down, making sure it stayed straight.

"Yes, thank you," said Peko, also sitting down. Her, Arkac had to go out of his way to observe and invite since she never made any attempt to join. "Though I must confess, I have little interest in the subject of your club studies."

"I know," said Arkac. "I've seen you in the kendo tournaments, Pekoyama-san. Very impressive." He turned his attention to Toko. "And you, Fukawa-san. One of the school's top students in English, composition, and literature. I can't tell you how honoured I am that you came up and asked to join my humble little club here."

"We share several classes," Celestia commented in regards to Toko. "Always so quiet, yet when you get writing, you don't stop until the bell rings, and sometimes the sensei has to snap you out of it even then. You must truly have a passion for it."

"You're just t-trying to butter me up," Toko said moodily, keeping a wary eye on them.

"And you're well-regarded by all the sports teams around school," Sakura said to Peko. "My friend Hina speaks admirably of you. You are truly skilled in your craft."

"Thank you," said Peko. "Though I still fail to see how my skill with a sword is relevant to this Literature Club of yours."

"Then I shall cut to the chase," Arkac announced. "It may be confusing that I've invited you here when you've displayed no interest, but the truth is, Pekoyama-san, I've been keeping a lookout for people with certain talents, and you happen to have the sort of talent I am looking for. You, too, Fukawa-san. You have no idea how lucky I felt when you came knocking on the door after school the other week. The Literature Club as you know it is simply a front for our group." He stood up and took a bow. "Ladies, you stand in the presence of—"

" _A bunch of Devils, bitches_!" Junko announced.

"Yes," Arkac sighed, upset that his attempt at being dramatic had been ruined. "Devils. We're Devils."

"Y-Y-You expect me to b-believe that!?" Toko demanded, now incredibly angry as opposed to just quietly distrusting. "W-Was this your p-plan!? To t-trick me, prank me, or w-whatever!? Y-You invited me here just to make a joke out of me! W-What are you g-gonna do now, h-h-huh!? You gonna t-tell everyone!?"

"Not at all!" Sonia protested. She sounded _hurt_ by the accusation on a personal level for reasons unbeknownst to the two present who were outside the Peerage. "We'd never do such a thing!"

"Well, _Junko_ might," Mikan commented, only to immediately cower when said Queen turned towards her with a manic grin. "N-N-Not as she is now, obviously!"

"I find myself having trouble believing you, as well," said Peko, far calmer than Toko. "Devils are creatures to be found only in the realm of fiction. I understand that you probably spend a lot of time delving into such works, seeing as you are the Literature Club, but involving others like this is concerning. If you aren't lying or playing some sort of game, then I would have to mark you as delusional. There are no such things—"

Arkac stood, silent, and allowed a pair of large bat-like wings to appear on his back. The mere sight of it caused the two humans to gape wordlessly as Peko's words died in her throat.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly," Arkac said in a tone that commanded respect now that he was acting as a member of his Devil family. "The name you know, Arkac Hasume, is a fabrication meant to conceal my true identity. My name is Arkac Hastur, and I am the last living Devil of the Hastur bloodline. The Literature Club is a front put up to disguise our true nature as Devils. These lovely ladies are my servants, members of my household. I have called the two of you here today to offer you a place beside me as part of my Peerage. I am offering you the chance to become Devils."

They both stared at him with open-mouthed shock. Toko was suddenly trying to reorganise the fact from the fiction within her mind as her entire world was shaken, and some deeper part of her realised, with abject terror, that there was only one thing about her that would make her worth recruiting by a bunch of demons. Peko was far calmer in her assessment of the situation – her life was already complicated enough as it was, and now Devils were real, too? Her problems were starting to feel incredibly small in comparison to this.

"Why … would you want us?" Peko built up the nerve to ask.

"From you, Pekoyama-san, my desires are simply for your skills with a sword," Arkac said. "In-depth explanations aside for _if_ you join me, I find myself in need of a little swordsmanship, and you're the best in school from what I've seen." He turned his gaze to Toko, and his face looked far grimmer. "From you, Fukawa-san … I'll be blunt, the reason I scouted you out was primarily because of your other side. I got lucky you came here; otherwise, I wouldn't have ever felt the need to check."

Toko started to clutch her hair, and her face took on an expression of extreme distress, causing Arkac's face to soften. "I … apologise. My intent is not to cause distress. In fact, if you were to join me, I think I could help you with your unique problem. To an extent, at least. As I've stated, I wish for your other to be accessible to me."

Peko took a breath and finally spoke up, the curiosity nagging at her. "I'm sorry, but … her 'other?'" she asked. "What do you mean?"

Arkac closed his eyes, breathed out through his nose, and thought a moment. _If they refuse, I can always erase all this later, so there's no harm in telling_ , he decided. _In fact,_ her _opinion on the matter is just as crucial as Fukawa-san's. They share a body, after all, so it wouldn't be fair if one agreed to servitude and the other didn't._ "Tell me," he said after giving it some thought. "What do you know of Genocide Jack?"

Little growls joined Toko's distressed twitching as she gritted her teeth. Peko took notice of this but pressed on. "The serial killer?" she clarified. "The one the authorities refer to as the 'Ultimate Murderous Fiend?'"

"Yes, that one," Arkac confirmed.

"Well … I don't know any more than anybody else. He's murdered countless men in a particularly brutal way. Always stabbed to death and with the word 'bloodlust' written on a nearby wall in their blood."

"Right on the money. Well, _mostly_. There's _one_ thing you didn't mention, though I can't really blame you since this little detail hasn't been made public. The way the bodies were found was … very unique as killings go. Pinned up in the shape of a cross on the wall, held up with the very weapons that were used to kill them in the first place: pairs of extra-sharp scissors, hand-crafted by the killer herself for the specific purpose of killing these men. And what if I told you I knew who it was?"

Peko's eyes sharpened. "Is it one of your Devils?"

"No. Well, not _yet_ , but hopefully soon. You see, Pekoyama-san, the true identity of Genocide Jack is … Fukawa-san." He watched as her eyes widened and couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of enjoyment as he said the words he knew would cause her confusion. "But it's also _not_ Fukawa-san. The killer is in this room," he shot his eyes to Toko, "but also _not_ in this room."

"… What you're saying makes no sense," Peko commented slowly. "How can Toko be the killer … but also _not_ be the killer?"

"I'm ever so glad you asked!" Junko announced in her scholarly voice, her hair tied in a ponytail and with glasses on her face. "The reason Toko Fukawa can be Genocide Jack but also _not_ Genocide Jack is something referred to in the psychiatric community as Dissociative Identity Disorder, D.I.D. for short. Two people are living inside that head of hers – one is the quietly negative Toko Fukawa, but the other is the murdering psychopath Genocide Jack." In a flash, Junko's hair was back to normal, and her glasses were gone, but she had a childish look on her face and spoke again in a cutesy voice. "I hope I explained that well, hehehe."

Sonia squeed, startling Peko out of her attentive state. "It's just like something out of one of my horror movies!" she said excitedly.

"Yes, it's such a cliché that it's hard to believe it's real," Celestia commented.

"How can I be expected to believe any of this?" Peko demanded, standing up. "You admit you're all Devils and then accuse this girl of murder? Look at her." She gestured at Toko, who was shaking her head and near enough ripping her hair out. "She's clearly in distress. For all I know, this is merely an attempt at deception, some ruse or another to get one or both of us to join you. How can I be expected to take you on your word?"

"I don't expect you to take me at my word," Arkac said simply. "But I suspect you might take her on hers. Let's meet the murderer, shall we?" Not waiting for a response, he flexed with his mind and poured a little Demonic Power into the action.

Toko's arms flopped to her side, and she went limp …

…

She stayed that way for several moments …

…

"… Fukawa, are you all right?" Peko asked, concerned, but also ready to grab her shinai off her back at a moment's notice. Despite her words, the Devil's claims had shaken her.

…

…

…

… "Boo!"

Toko shot to her feet, but there was something _very_ different about her. She had a crazed grin spread across her face, her irises expanded and took over much of her eyes, which were now blood red. Her abnormally long, sharp tongue, which went unnoticed to this point if it was ever there at all as Toko, hung out like a rabid, slobbering animal's, and she now had the sharp teeth to go with it.

"Why hello there!" she greeted joyously. "Is it _me_ you were hoping to see!? So, you figured it out, huh!? Well, whatever! What're you gonna do!?" She took an exaggerated bow towards everyone. "Ultimate Murderous Fiend Genocide Jack, at your service! Though I prefer to go by Genocide Jill. Y'know, girl and all."

" _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God_!" Sonia squealed like a crazy fangirl … which is precisely what she was. "It is _such_ an honour to meet you, Miss Genocide! I'm such a big fan of your work! I've collected all the newspaper clippings; you're just such an artist! Oh! Oh! Oh! Could I trouble you to come over and sign some of them sometime? I'd just _love_ to get your autograph!"

"No prob!" Genocide Jill said in a friendly tone. "There is no greater pleasure for an artist than for someone else to admire their work."

Sayaka giggled. "Wow, Sonia is really opening up with her morbid side," she said.

"Quite," Celestia agreed. "Given how excited she is to finally be in the presence of one of those killers she reads about, I'm left wondering how she was able to keep her composure so long through the conversation up until now."

"F-Fukawa …" Peko said, taking a step back in shock. "What happened to you?"

"Not Fukawa! Jill!" Genocide Jill insisted. "And what happened is a textbook split personality! So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer!? You should turn a blind eye to one's faults! _Kyeehahahaha!_ " She burst out into a deranged fit of laughter. It would have curdled the blood of any human, but the majority of those present were not human, and even Peko was familiar enough with the darker side of humanity not to feel afraid; it was surprise making her act the way she was more than anything else. "Like they say, sound in murderous mind, sound in murderous body! The world is composed of a front and a back. Just like how every inning has a top and a bottom, or at the depths of every truth lives a little lie … behind every dark and gloomy soul lives another that shines as bright as the sun. _Kyeehahahaha!_ "

"Yes, you're certainly more bubbly than Fukawa-san," Arkac observed. Whereas Toko was incredibly gloomy and always held an air of creativity, Genocide Jill was a bundle of energy and was honestly being incredibly friendly so far. It was almost hard to believe that _this_ was the murderous one, but he could feel it clear as day. Insanity at its finest. "How do you do? My name is Arkac Hastur, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Genocide Jill's eyes snapped towards him. "Well _helloooooooooooooooo_ , handsome!" she said, feigning a swoon. Or _really_ swooning. It was incredibly difficult to tell with this one. "How did I ever miss _you_? I normally go all _kinds_ of crazy when there's a cute boy around." She shrugged. "Oh well, better late than never, I guess. Thanks for making your presence known, sweetie. Now," her grin turned bloodthirsty, "time for the artist to create another piece!"

She leapt across the table, unveiling a pair of razor-sharp scissors she'd had hidden in her skirt …

… only to stop short when every girl in the room, bar Peko, stood between her and Arkac, combat-ready.

"Please retake your seat," Arkac said politely, though his tone held a hidden threat. "I called this meeting in an attempt to recruit. It would be such a shame if things here got too … _messy_ to reconcile. It wouldn't be _too_ difficult to cover up, and we'd be ridding the city of a murderous fiend, but all the same, I would rather avoid the hassle if at all possible."

Even a lunatic like Genocide Jill knew when she was at a severe disadvantage, so with a grunt of discontent, she retook her seat. "You've gotta be one hell of a guy to get all these broads willing to get between you and a serial killer like that," she commented. "Watcha doing, Arsenal? Giving these skanks the D so good they can't live without it? _Kyeehahahaha_!"

"Not quite," said Arkac. "I mean, I _am_ , as you so crudely put it, 'giving them the D,' but that's more something that developed over time. This sort of loyalty is expected of every group of Devil servants. The secret, I've found, is showing that same loyalty in return, as well as the ability to keep any promises made."

Genocide Jill tilted her head. "Devil servants …? The fuck you talking about?"

"Ah, so I was right. You and Fukawa-san don't share memories?"

"Nope! You're right on the money!"

"Then how did you know we'd figured you out?" Sakura asked.

"Well, _duh_! I was surrounded by people!" Genocide Jill said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That goodie-two-shoes Toko wouldn't have let the change happen if we were surrounded by people who _didn't_ know!"

"To be fair, she did not have much of a choice," Celestia commented. "Our master has a _way_ with such things."

"Well, since you're so thoroughly in the dark about what's been discussed," Arkac went on, "I shall fill you in on what I told Fukawa-san a moment ago …"

And so he did. He filled Genocide Jill in on everything he had told to Toko and Peko only a few minutes earlier. Unlike Toko, however, Genocide Jill didn't freak out in the slightest over what she was hearing. If anything, her ever-present grin widened as his story carried on. Even as he was saying it, he knew he had the approval of at least _one_ personality if Genocide Jill's reaction was anything to go by, so the only one who would need convincing was Toko. He wasn't worried, though. He was very good at knowing just what to say to people.

Genocide Jill here was the key to convincing Toko to join the Peerage. He was sure of it.

"… then I used my powers to bring you to the forefront of your shared mind, and you were here for the rest," he finished.

Genocide Jill was uncharacteristically silent for several moments, though that look of glee remained on her face. "I just have one question," she spoke up.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Do I still get to kill people if I join you?"

Arkac considered his next words carefully. "… What you do in your own time is still for you to decide, absolutely. I only ask that you keep up the discreetness you've been practising and don't do anything that could link you directly to us. Again, covering these things up is of no difficulty for me, but I would rather avoid it if at all possible. There _will_ be fights with enemies if you become a Devil, too, so you can kill to your heart's content in those situations."

"… Not quite as appealing, but I'll take it. Just two things. One: I only kill guys, so if any ladies need slashing, you're gonna need to find yourself another murderer, pal. Two: I _need_ to arrange the bodies in my usual way. I am an artist first and foremost – I will not betray my craft, not even for immortality."

"Rest assured. I would never ask you to betray who you are for my sake."

"Then it's a deal, Ark of the Covenant!" Apparently, she enjoyed getting creative with nicknames.

"Splendid. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue trying to persuade your other half." He flexed his mind again before Genocide Jill had a chance to respond, snapping Toko's soul back into the driver's seat. Her features returned to normal, and she blinked as she took in the scene around her, dropping the Genoscissors to the floor as she came to. "Welcome back, Fukawa-san."

"W-W-W-What the _fuck did you just do_!?" she demanded, going back to tugging her hair out like she was when he was first revealing her little secret.

"I gave you a small demonstration on what I can do for you if you join me," he explained without a hint of remorse. "I just switched you to your alternate personality – she's a charming woman, I might add – and back again with little more than a thought on my part. Due to a little something I inherited from my late family, I can do this sort of thing with ease. I can give you the ability to switch between you and your alter at will. _This_ is what I'm offering you if you join me, Fukawa-san: _control_."

She went quiet, quieter than she had been up to this point, which was saying something. Her facial expression, which had varied between reserved and confrontational the entire time she'd been here, was now hesitantly contemplative. What he just did … it felt almost _violating_ in a way she was unfamiliar with. He had reached into her mind and put her to sleep, allowing that _murderer_ in the back of her soul out to play. But he had also switched them back again just as quickly. It made her wonder … would it be worth it? Becoming a Devil? Would it … would it save the lives of Genocide Jill's future victims?

And if he could do that … how else might he be able to help her?

All these thoughts raced through Toko's mind as she sat, silent, on the sofa beside Peko, who also looked contemplative. She was intrigued by the offer, but unlike Toko, he hadn't given her any specific reason to join him. She thought that might be coming up, but when he spoke again, he said something far more straightforward than what he'd said to Toko.

"Pekoyama-san … you wish to be the best swordswoman you can be, correct?" he asked.

"Yes," she said assuredly.

"Devils are creatures of greed," Arkac explained. "When we want something, that's it, damn everything else, we go as far out of our way as we can to _get_ it. You'd be no different. I don't doubt that you're already driven, but as a Devil, you'd have an advantage over just about every human opponent you could face. Isn't that appealing, being able to stand up to those who are supernaturally stronger than you are now? And wouldn't such strength be able to aid you in solving _other_ problems you might be having."

Peko's eyes narrowed. "Do you know something about me?" she asked. "Like you knew about the killer inside Fukawa's head?"

"No," he denied. "I had Fukawa-san investigated because her visit left me with the impression that there was something else in there, something that could be of use to me. Your sword skills are what I want, Pekoyama-san, and _everyone_ has problems they need to face. I was merely raising the possibility that becoming a Devil might be able to help with yours. It's up to you to make that particular decision." He looked between the two of them. "I'm not expecting an answer straight away; you're both free to leave and think about it if you need to. But I'll need a definite answer eventually. Forgive me for saying, but if you refuse, I'll have to do some minor memory erasure to remove all the information I've given you this evening."

Peko was the first to stand up when he was finished speaking. "I will … consider everything I've heard this evening," she said. "I will return to you with an answer as soon as I've thought things through."

Arkac stood up, too. "I can ask nothing more of you, Pekoyama-san," he said.

The two bowed to each other, and she left.

Toko sat fidgeting. "C-C-Can you r-really help me control h-her?" she asked. There was desperation in her voice, a lot of hesitance, and just the _tiniest_ amount of hope. It was the hope that Arkac wanted to grow.

"Yes," he said confidently. "I always keep my promises. If you join me, I'll give you control over her."

She was quiet again for a few seconds. "I-I'll think about it," she said, then quickly darted out of the room without another word.

"Um …" Mikan spoke up once she was gone. "I d-don't mean to be a bother, but … d-don't you think it might've been a little too i-invasive changing her without permission like that?"

"Perhaps," Arkac admitted. "But do you think she would have taken my offer at face value if I hadn't demonstrated my ability to control her change? No, she wouldn't have. This was a necessary evil, something which we Devils are no strangers to. My little display also showed how serious I am to Pekoyama-san. This was all in our best interest, I assure you."

He leaned forward, over the table. On the table, undisturbed during this whole thing, was a chessboard. The black pieces were all there and were completely normal. The white side, though, was instead coloured yellow. The King, the Queen, a Rook, both Bishops, and three Pawns were missing from this yellow set. Arkac picked up one of the yellow Knights and held it up to his face. He allowed himself a smirk.

"Now, all we need to do is wait for them to come to their decisions."

* * *

Kyoko Kirigiri was, first and foremost, a detective. She had been when she was a human, and she still was now as a Devil. Investigating was what she did and what she was good at. So, upon beginning her mission to follow Issei Hyoudou, one of the school's most infamous perverts, she had first reached out with her senses to see what might have gotten Rias so interested in him. To her surprise, she _did_ feel something from him.

She just didn't know what.

One of the significant downsides of being a reincarnated Devil rather than pure-blooded was that you really had to train your senses to pick things up. Kyoko had been doing so, and she was good at reading energy and the like, but whatever Issei had was still dormant, and she wasn't quite at the stage where she could get detailed information on something that wasn't even _activated_ yet. All she could deduce was that he had a Sacred Gear of some sort.

That little piece of knowledge was enough to keep her interested in the chase, however. She followed him expertly. Tailing spouses, usually husbands, suspected of cheating by their other halves was something she was paid to do quite a lot of when she was still working as a run of the mill detective. Not her favourite workdays by any means, but they brought in the cash. Issei's movements were nothing unusual for a boy of his age. He just seemed to be going home. She started to wonder why Rias was so insistent on having him followed …

Then the answer presented itself. Or rather, _her_ self.

The Fallen Angel was an attractive young woman with a body that made Kyoko jealous, though bodies like that were incredibly common among Fallen Angel women. She had violet eyes and long, silky black hair that reached down to her hips. She was wearing a school uniform, which consisted of a dark red jacket with the letter "P" embroidered in gold, a white undershirt, a red bow, and a green skirt with a thin white stripe around the lower end of it. Kyoko was confident that if that school _did_ exist, it wasn't anywhere in Kuoh Town.

 _Fallen Angels in the territory …_ Kyoko thought, troubled. The Fallen Angels had been walloped during the war, and ever since then, they'd barely made appearances. If there was a group here, it had to be of some importance. _I'll need to tell Arkac about this when I get back._

It didn't take her long to deduce that the Fallen Angel knew about the Sacred Gear within Issei. The Fallen Angel was preying on Issei's most well-known personality trait: his lust. She was playing up the role of the innocent yet sexy young girl with a crush to get him to spend time with her willingly. This made Kyoko suspect that she didn't know what his Sacred Gear was, either, and was trying to observe him to figure out what it was. She _could_ have been trying to recruit him already, but if she were, she would likely have led him to some secluded spot and revealed herself to him with an offer, if not outright kidnap him. But she was asking him out. She wanted to keep him around without revealing herself. Yes, scouting him out seemed likely for the time being.

 _I'd better go,_ Kyoko decided. Getting caught here by the Fallen Angel, if she hadn't already sensed her presence, would be bad. Arkac's group may have been protected a little by guest rights, but this was still Gremory territory, not Hastur territory. Arkac's Peerage would be much more available for attack than Rias' would be. _I need to warn the others._

Kyoko made her way quietly away.

* * *

Arkac thought about the Fallen Angels even as he watched Peko practice with the rest of the kendo team. This was after their daily beat-down of Issei.

It had been a _long_ time since the Great War, so the Fallen Angels probably had more numbers now than they did at the end of that mess, but they were still far more reclusive than the other factions. For them to set foot in Devil territory … It was an anomaly. Anomalies excited and worried him in equal measure. He liked the excitement of the potential danger, but he was also very conscious of the fact that if he died, his entire bloodline would die with him. As egotistical as it sounded, his survival was paramount. There was also the fact that this is Rias' territory. It was down to her to decide what to do about all this; he couldn't interfere.

 _I guess I'll just have to wait,_ he thought. He smiled as he once again beheld what a fantastic swordswoman Peko was. She was _trouncing_ the other club members. _I reckon that if she agrees to become a Devil, she'll even give Kiba-kun a run for his money._

He glanced up as someone sat down next to him. It was Toko. "Fukawa-san," he greeted politely. "I didn't take you for the type to be into this sort of thing."

"I, I'm here to talk to Pekoyama-senpai," she explained. "W-What are _you_ d-doing here? Sp- _Spying_ on h-her?"

"I got into the habit of sitting in on the kendo club's meetings when I was still scouting for a Knight," he said. "It's a very familiar environment to me because of that. Makes it a perfect place to think about things."

"What k-k-kinds of things?"

"Nothing you currently need to worry about."

Silence reigned between them for several minutes.

"S-So …" Toko began, "… j-just out of c-curiosity, how d-did you choose your o-other s-servants? I-I-I know you picked m-me when I came to join your c-c-club, and you obviously want P-Pekoyama-senpai for her s-sword skills, so how did you ch-choose the others?"

Arkac looked thoughtful. "I can tell you how and where I met each of them," he said. "But their stories are their own to tell if they wish to tell them." He smiled as he thought back to his past with his servants. "I met Junko not long after I became able to take servants. It's sort of bizarre. She's my right-hand woman, the person I would entrust my life to over all others, yet the story of our meeting isn't anything spectacular. I just met her in the street. I was wandering around in the human world and just came across this genius if loony girl. And when I say genius, I _mean_ genius. Junko can predict people in a way I've never seen before or since." _In fact, she definitely already knows what you two are going to decide and is likely keeping the suspense up for her amusement,_ he added mentally.

"Celestia came next. I took Junko to a gambling tournament to see how accurate her ability to read people was. Celestia was the only one she had any trouble with, and even then, it wasn't much. Still, it was enough to get my attention, and after meeting Celestia outside of the games, I discovered something that made me offer her a position at once. Then there's Sakura. I met her when I observed her in a martial arts tournament I was attending as a spectator. I took a shine to her physical capabilities. She's hellishly strong if you'll pardon the pun. Sonia, I simply met in her homeland and befriended, though me making her my servant was a bit more politically motivated, I have to admit. You'll have to ask her about that if you want to know. I know she doesn't mind me telling people, but I still think it'd be rude of me to do so. I came across Mikan while I was actively searching for a healer for the group. She was making quite a name for herself among you humans for her capabilities when it comes to caring for others. I simply made her an offer, and she accepted.

"I met Sayaka at one of her concerts. I don't suppose you've listened to her idol group's songs? Anyway, I met her after the concert and fanboyed a bit because I was a fan. It was only after I met her that I discovered something about her that made me consider adding her to my group. And, finally, Kyoko. She actually found me. She was investigating the supernatural and, admittedly, I had overlooked the fact that some of my servants are quite well-known in the human world. Between the martial arts champion, the world-class gambler, and the idol, I left something of a trail behind me. And that's _without_ counting how conspicuous Sonia's inclusion into my group is. Anyway, Kyoko found me and asked to join me. I thought that a detective of such skill could be useful, and the rest is history. That's how I met each member of my Peerage."

Toko looked on in interest as he finished explaining. "A-And they all had a ch-choice?" she asked.

"Of course," Arkac replied. "I'm not a monster, Fukawa-san. I won't lie, there _are_ Devils – nasty, nasty bastards – who force others to join them, but I'm not one of them. If you join me, it will be of your own free will, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you have a good life."

"… J-Just one more question. How d-did you know I was G," she paused and lowered her voice to a whisper, " _G-Genocide Jill_."

"My family's power told me. I'll tell you more about that if you join me, but I hope you'll understand if I try to limit your information so that there's less to remove if you decide not to join me. After I sensed her inside you, I had Kyoko follow you around for a while to confirm my suspicions. Sorry about that, by the way. Now, I'd best be off. I've got a club to run, you know." He stood up. "I hope your chat with Pekoyama-san goes well, and I hope to hear your answers soon. Good day to you."

He walked out.

* * *

_Sunday evening …_

Issei Hyoudou couldn't believe that date had led to by far the worst night of his life. Things hadn't even been wrong for 10 minutes, yet the fact that he was now lying on the ground, his blood spreading in a pool around him, made the short time things had been wrong so bad that the shortness of the time was irrelevant. It was the worst night of his life.

And most likely the last.

Yet still, he daydreamed of breasts. He had no idea that his perversions were about to save his life.

As he wished he had gotten at least one chance to grab a pair of tits before he died, he was vaguely aware of a glow from nearby. The glow became a bright light which would have blinded him if his eyes had been working better.

The last thing he saw before slipping away from consciousness was red hair …

* * *

"So, the Fallen Angels killed Hyoudou?" Arkac said to Rias as the two of them walked through the halls the following day.

"Yes," Rias confirmed. "Their loss is my gain, I suppose. It took all eight of my Pawns to bring him back. Whatever Sacred Gear he had, it must have been powerful."

Arkac made a long whistling sound, impressed. "That's gotta be some Sacred Gear. It makes me wonder, though … What's the Fallen Angels' game here? It's not like they can afford to be throwing away potential resources like that. If they're willing to come into Devil territory just to kill the guy they were watching … Let's just say, I'm curious as to what their _real_ purpose in this town is."

"You and me both. Though let me alleviate at least one worry from your shoulders: I'll make sure my new Pawn knows there's no touching allowed."

Arkac grinned. "Good."

* * *

Arkac grew excited when club activities began that evening. Toko and Peko arrived at the library very shortly after Arkac and his Peerage did, looking like they had something to say. The moment of truth had arrived, then. They had both made their decisions. It was just a shame that his Peerage had work to do. He hadn't had the time to organise a short break from contracts like he had at their first meeting, so the only one at his side at this point was Junko.

"A pleasure to see you, ladies," he greeted with a charming smile. "Please, have a seat."

The two of them sat down.

"We've made our decision," said Peko. "But of course, you already knew that."

"I had an inkling," Arkac admitted.

"So, tell us what you decided!" Junko said with great enthusiasm. The gleam in her eyes confirmed something Arkac had already suspected: she already knew the results.

"I have decided to accept your offer," said Peko. "If I can improve my skills as you said, it will be worth it."

"I, I'm in, t-too," Toko stuttered. "If you really c-can give me control over h-h- _her_ , then I … I g-guess I can take working f-for you."

"Ladies, you truly can't imagine how happy I am to hear you say that," said Arkac, his smile widening. He leaned forward and took two of the yellow chess pieces from the board on the table: a Knight and a Pawn. "I'd have liked for the others to be here to witness this and help with the explaining, but that's not so important that it's necessary to wait for them. Would you mind standing a moment? It's a lot easier than if I were to lean down to do this."

He stood up, and so did they. He moved over to Peko first and held the Knight piece against her chest. Then he began the chant.

"In the name of I, Arkac Hastur, I hereby reincarnate you, Peko Pekoyama, as my Knight. Take this power and be delighted with your new life."

As he finished speaking, the Knight Piece sank into Peko's chest, and it was done, simple as that. Arkac moved his hand away quickly to avoid any awkwardness. As though to emphasise the change, a pair of Devil wings sprouted from Peko's back, spread out as though stretching, and just as quickly vanished back into her back as though they had never been there at all. Then Arkac moved on to Toko, who looked considerably more nervous, and repeated the process with the Pawn piece.

"In the name of I, Arkac Hastur, I hereby reincarnate you, Toko Fukawa, and your other self, Genocide Jill, as my Pawn. Take this power and be delighted with your new life."

The same happened again: The Pawn sank into Toko's chest, and Devil wings briefly sprouted from her back and vanished. When the Pawn went in, however, Arkac felt a short flare of power from Toko that he hadn't expected. Not a Sacred Gear, but _something_ in the girl had just reacted to the introduction of the supernatural element … and it was _powerful_. It hid just as quickly as it made itself known, but there was _something_ in Toko more powerful than Arkac had initially thought. It made him sure he had made the right decision.

He kept this to himself for the time being, however.

"I'll explain what those chess pieces represent when I can make a more practical lesson of it," he said to them as he went and retook his seat, indicating that they should do the same. "For now, I'll be giving you a little Devil 101. For the next few weeks, maybe even a couple of months, you'll find that the sunlight isn't as pleasant as it used to be. This is because the light is the natural enemy of us Devils. The sun won't do any lasting harm to you, but your new bodies will need a chance to get used to it. Though if an enemy – an Angel, a Fallen Angel, or an Exorcist, stray or otherwise – hits you with light-based weapons or attacks, _that_ will do some damage, so watch out for that. On a more positive note, however, you now have a lifespan of about ten thousand years."

"T-T-T- _Ten thousand years_!?" Toko yelped in shock and awe.

"That is … quite a life," Peko said, letting out a breath but otherwise maintaining her stoic demeanour.

"Assuming you don't get fuckin' _murdered_ , yeah," Junko added.

"And that life is yours to do whatever you please with," Arkac continued. "Devils are creatures of greed. When we've got our ambitions, we will pursue them _to the grave_. With your new life, you can aim for whatever you desire, and I will do my best to help you achieve it. You are servants now, yes, but you can move upwards through the ranks of Devil society and eventually be freed from my service to gain servants of your own."

"Why is it necessary to transform others into Devils?" Peko asked.

"An excellent question!" Junko said, going into full intellectual mode. "You see, after the Great War – an event which will be covered when we eventually get to the history lesson – none of the three factions came out unscathed. The Fallen Angels came out far worse than anyone else, but the Devils were still hit hard. And then came the Underworld Civil War, which lowered the population even further. One method for raising the population would have been breeding, and it is indeed common for Devils to have harems of multiple lovers in order to increase the chances of siring more children, but the sad truth of the matter is that Devil birth rates are so low that it simply wasn't practical to do so. The solution was discovered by one of our current leaders, Ajuka Beelzebub, who created the Evil Pieces as a method of raising our population without having to worry about the depressingly low birth rates. Any questions?"

"Y-Y-You have a harem?" Toko asked Arkac.

"I do," he confirmed.

Her expression turned accusatory and hostile. "W-Was that why you r-recruited us? J-Just so you could add us to y-your little g-g-gaggle of l-lovers!?"

"No. While I admit that the other girls _are_ in my harem, it isn't a requirement for joining. They _chose_ to be with me in that way. Whether you choose to join the harem is entirely down to you and your feelings, it's not something I'll force you into."

"Th-Then why are they all g-girls if you aren't some p-p-pervert?"

Arkac sighed sadly and told her straight. "I am the last living member of the Hastur family. The Hastur bloodline runs exclusively through my veins. As such, I was encouraged by other Devils to build my Peerage up a certain way. I don't like coming across as some sex-obsessed pervert who only wants women for my harem in my Peerage. Still, given the dire situation my family is in, I conceded to the practicality of the suggestion. But trust me, I'm well aware of how it looks, and I don't like the light it paints me in."

"I appreciate your honesty," said Peko.

Toko just went quiet, giving a shaky nod to show she understood. She didn't trust herself to speak in case it came out overly negative.

"Now then, Fukawa-san … No, I think I'll call you Toko from now on, and I'll call you Peko. It would be weird using honorifics since we're basically family now, so you can feel free to call me Arkac like everyone else in the Peerage. Anyway, Toko, I believe I promised you something. If you don't mind …" He stood up and went over to where she was sitting without waiting for a response. He placed a finger against her forehead and ran some Demonic Power through it, changing something within. "There," he said after a few seconds, returning to his seat. "You now have total control over the switch in personalities. Jill won't come out unless you will her out."

"J-J-Just like that …?" Toko asked in shock.

"Bet your ass, just like that," Junko confirmed. Then she went to her cutesy persona. "Isn't our master just the coolest ever?" As she said this, she placed a box on the table.

"Thank you, Junko," Arkac expressed gratitude, both for the compliment and for preparing for what he was going to say next. "Now, if you two look inside the box, you will find leaflets. Your first job as my servants will be passing these around town. This is usually a job your Familiars would be doing, but since you don't have Familiars yet, you'll be passing them out to potential clients yourself for the time being. There's a pair of devices on top of the leaflets which will act as a map of sorts to people with strong greed who you can potentially form contracts with. And no," he added, amused and knowing what their first question would be, "we don't trade in human souls. We haven't done that for centuries. One more warning before you begin: I've received word that there are some Fallen Angels in town. They shouldn't bother you as long as they know you're doing work for your master, but if they do cause you trouble, _call me immediately_. Any questions?"

"H-How do we call you?" Toko asked.

Arkac smacked himself in the head. "Oh, right. You two need my phone number." He gave it to them. "Just ring me if anything happens. Any other questions?" They both shook their heads. "Right then, off you go. Good luck on your first night."

Toko and Peko left to do their job.

"Alone at last," Junko purred, straddling him in his chair.

"Careful, Junko," he warned. "We're in a library. It wouldn't do to be too loud."

* * *

Meanwhile, in an abandoned church across town …

"I'm … not sure I like these new orders," said a Fallen Angel woman with brown eyes and long, navy blue hair. Her body was tall and vigorous, and her clothes showed off every bit of it. She was wearing a maroon, trench coat-like top with a full collar that was open at the chest, giving a very generous view of her breasts, a matching miniskirt, and black heeled shoes.

"What, you think you can't handle it, Kalawarner?" asked a smaller woman. She had blonde hair styled in twin-tails and blue eyes full of self-importance. She wore a Gothic Lolita outfit, which consisted of a black Lolita dress with white frills, a large black bow on the front, and a green jewel embedded on the collar, white thigh-high socks, and black shoes. She also wore a large black bow on top of her hair. "Please. With someone as badass as me on the team, it'll be a breeze."

"It's not our abilities I'm doubting, Mittelt. It's the need to do this. Can we really afford to risk the Devils' ire in this way?"

"They're the orders we've been given," said the only man of the group. He appeared to be middle-aged, with short black hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a pale grey trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black trousers and shoes, a pair of black gloves, and a black fedora. "The risk is not ours to assess. Besides, are you not eager to avenge our people upon the descendant of one of the Great Ones? If we pull this off, one of the families who aided in the decimation of our people will be extinct."

"Dohnaseek is right," said their leader. It was the same Fallen Angel who had been spying on Issei, only now she was wearing black, strap-like objects not unlike leather around and under her breasts, a thong-like piece held around her hips by three thin straps, gloves that ran right up her arms with small lengths of chains hanging from them, shoulder guard-like objects on her shoulders with three large spikes sprouting from her right shoulder, and black thigh-high heel boots. She also appeared taller with sharper features, and her voice was deeper. She wore a savage grin as she spoke, full of bloodlust. "Those are the orders we've been given. And oh how sweet they will be to complete …"

"But Raynare—"

"Stop your snivelling, Kalawarner. If Lord Kokabiel wants Arkac Hastur dead, then Arkac Hastur will die."


End file.
